Former TRUSU president seeks council spot

A former TRUSU president is taking his game to a whole new level. Dustin McIntyre announced his bid for city council on Sept. 18.

Former TRUSU president Dustin McIntyre hopes to make his mark as a city councillor.

Prior to his graduation from TRU in 2013, McIntyre served on the student government for three years, first as the arts and sciences representative, then as vice-president internal before finally moving up to the top job in his final year. During that time, TRUSU tackled projects like the addition of security phones around campus, earlier release for the exam schedule and increased transit hours.

“I’ve never stepped down from a challenge. I’ve fought year after year for students and I’m willing to do the same thing for the great citizens of Kamloops,” McIntyre said.

At 25-years-old and only one year out of university, McIntyre is the youngest candidate looking for a seat at the table this fall. While he admits that he is going into the race as an underdog, he hopes that citizens will be able to see past his age and focus on his platform.

“I’m not doing this for personal reasons, I’m doing this because I want to represent Kamloops. I think Kamloops needs that new generation of leadership,” he said. “I’m not saying that the current leadership is bad, I just think that the next generation needs to be young, vibrant and build on what the current city council has done.”

Along with new high-rises, multi-family homes downtown and a new waterpark in Westsyde, McIntyre hopes to attract more family doctors to Kamloops if elected.

Drawing from his experience at TRU, McIntyre pointed out that many students are reliant on clinics, which sometimes require long lines before getting medical attention.

“It would be so much better for everyone’s health and well-being if everyone had a family doctor,” he said. “Everyone deserves that opportunity to be known and be seen by someone that they know and trust.”

McIntyre admitted, however, that getting more physicians into Kamloops would be a major project that would require co-operation with the provincial government.

McIntyre also spoke against the Ajax mining project, saying that while he is pro-mining, the project’s lack of a federal review makes it a bad fit for Kamloops right now. He added that he dislikes how, in his view, the issue has polarized Kamloops residents.

“I’m really disappointed that Ajax mine has pitted citizens against each other. It’s the ‘yes’ vote versus the ‘no’ vote, and there’s not a lot of dialogue between the two,” he said.

With only eight seats to fill and 14 candidates in the running, Kamloops residents will have no shortage of choice when they head to the polls on Nov. 15. All seven current city councillors have put in their names for re-election, as well as challengers Mike O’Reilly, Andrew Miller, Annette Glover, Peter Kerek, Bob Dieno, and Dieter Dudy.

“I will not give up,” McIntyre said. “If I don’t get elected, four years down the road you’ll see me the first person out of the gate and ready to go.”